Breakups, losses, growing older, career setbacks — we all have times when we just have to put our heads down and soldier on. This month, our female-led VOD and web series picks showcase a range of determined women from varying backgrounds who’ve all hit a bump in the road and are just trying to figure out what comes next.
In our VOD selection, “Paint It Black,” co-writer-director Amber Tamblyn introduces us to a pair of women brought together by a death. As they grieve for the same person, Josie and Meredith are simultaneously drawn to and repelled by each other in a painful, resentment-filled relationship.
Cazzie David and Elisa Kalani’s web series, “Eighty-Sixed,” is a millennial breakup story. Remi is determined to “win” the breakup with her boyfriend by carefully cultivating a false image of herself online. Back for a second season, Scarlet Sheppard’s “Karmic” explores the origins of its main characters’ friendships. The viewer learns how the characters’ experiences with mental illness, LGBTQ identity, and difficult childhoods cemented their bond.
In Lisa Ebersole’s “37 Problems,” Amanda, a 37-year-old screenwriter, is tasked with freezing her eggs before she can get funding to finish her web series project. In the process, she learns that she only has one more shot at being a mother, and has to think about whether that’s what she wants.
Finally, the “Meme Queens” of Jessica A. Caesar’s web series are a pair of late-20s former beauty queens who aren’t adjusting to the anonymity of normal life. So, they sign up to participate in a web-based reality series in which all of their goofy, narcissistic behavior is turned into memes, which rockets them to internet fame.
Here are our VOD and web series selections for November.
VOD
“Paint It Black” — Co-Written and Directed by Amber Tamblyn
In actress Amber Tamblyn’s directorial debut, a young woman named Josie (Alia Shawkat) copes with the death of her boyfriend, Michael, and in the process becomes closer than she could have imagined with his mother, Meredith (Janet McTeer), a mentally unstable pianist who blames Josie for the loss of her son. They become dependent on each other in their grief, both pushing each other away and clinging together as they search for meaning and understanding after Michael’s death.
Rent or buy “Paint It Black” on Amazon, iTunes, and other streaming platforms.
Web Series
“Eighty-Sixed” — Created by Cazzie David and Elisa Kalani
In this hilarious web series, we meet Remi (co-creator Cazzie David), who’s recently been dumped by her boyfriend and is determined to “win” the breakup with the help of her friends. She’s a little neurotic and a little more narcissistic, and as she tries to come out on top, her dependence on social media keeps dragging her back down. It’s a dry, super funny look at millennial romance — and how it can all fall apart.
Watch “Eighty-Sixed” on YouTube or the series’s website.
“Karmic” — Created by Scarlet Sheppard
The second season of “Karmic” promises to bring as many laughs and memorable moments as the first when we rejoin Margot and Josie (Melanie Price and Jessica Sabatini), two best friends with some major differences, who are hosting a wacky, homeless yoga instructor named Sage (creator Scarlet Sheppard) on their couch. In this season, we learn more about what brought these girls together — specifically the mental illness, LGBTQ identity, and childhood trauma that solidified their friendship.
Catch both seasons of “Karmic” on YouTube.
“37 Problems” — Created, Written, and Directed by Lisa Ebersole
This new web series follows the journey of Amanda (creator Lisa Ebersole), a 37-year-old screenwriter who’s single, childless, and struggling to finish her web series. Her mother agrees to finance her project on one condition: Amanda needs to freeze her eggs. When she finds out from her very attractive fertility specialist that she she only has one viable egg left, Amanda starts to evaluate what she wants in her life — if she ever wants to be married, have a chance at being a mother, or whether she wants to put everything she has into her career.
Watch the trailer for “37 Problems” on Vimeo or the series’s website. On October 17 the series will debut on Amazon Video and Seed & Spark.
“Meme Queens” — Created by Jessica A. Caesar
“Meme Queens” tells the story of two former beauty queens (creator Jessica A. Caesar and Gilli Messer), now in their late 20s, who are dissatisfied with normal adulthood. They’re broke, washed-up, and they’ll do pretty much anything for a bit of fame. Soon enough they find themselves wrapped up in an internet reality show, in which their wildest antics and silliest stunts are turned into memes for all the web to see — and well on their way to internet stardom.
You can watch episodes of “Meme Queens” on YouTube or on WhoHaha, the female-driven comedy website created by Elizabeth Banks.
